Roy. (expurgated edition)

[rnrswitch]

awesome! did they come with a helmet, too or did your insurance provide that?

onto other things, roy at selfedge! Still a good deal at $275. A steal at $150.

If you aren't on the payroll, then you damn well should be. I just bought a pair since it is such a good deal. Ohh and uhh ROY provides the helmet with the ROY duck pants. Another added benefit.

[16steps]

even if he didnt sell at selfedge, there is no way that he could continue selling jeans @ $150

[rnrswitch]

even if he didnt sell at selfedge, there is no way that he could continue selling jeans @ $150

Oh no. I got it. It's a great deal. That is why I bought a pair. You already sold me on it.

[rnrswitch]

/\ glad to hear! I guess you do have some sort of taste despite most of your waywts

Yeah. Actually I have more steez than is allowed, so I have to ugly this shit up every once in a while. It gets difficult some times, but apparently it has been working. But I do enjoy your WAYWT pics....

The miner trad look no work for you?

[mikecch]

Along with debuting ROY jeans, we're also excited to debut a new brand that will be exclusive to Self Edge New York....

Quoting Andrew over at SF.

ROY jeans with free shipping ~

EDIT: ...ah, never mind, Andrew already posted it here

[Denton]

Is ROY the first American denim brand that Self Edge has sold? (Not counting Mister Freedom, since thats technically Sugar Cane.)

Back pocket flasher looks greeat! Although I think $275 is a little bit steep..

no, 3sixteen

[robbie]

I guess this also means the end of personalized chain-stitch embroidery as well.

That bit of 'nostalgia' aside ....

I am very excited for Roy and the well deserved exposure he'll now get on both coasts, as well as hopefully a TON of blogs as well.

The thing I like best is that Roy is still Roy. And hopefully Roy will always be Roy.

plus, I wish the dude had an account because I really want to rep this

bling bling!

[Happy Hooligan]

I guess the price hike pays for the bling...

[robbie]

REALLY^^^ Kiya has a family, and a business. a markup was expected. Plus, Roy can buy new machines and make shirts or jackets or who knows what now that he has that extra coin with which to experiment. Plus, you can buy 'bling' like that at any mall i mean ANY mall. don't hate.

no, 3sixteen

they used to carry KMW (japanese denim/american brand)

[Happy Hooligan]

^^dude... chill

I wasn't hating at all. I'd love to have a pair of Roys.

the first thing you see on the site is bling fair and simple.

I doubt he'll be buying any new machines, as it looks like enjoys the old ones quite well.

Kiya's doing fine as far as I see with 3 stores over the country. I don't think his kids are starving...

so yes, I think my joke still stands.

And thanks for the kind advice on where to get a matching Roy Ring...

[kiya]

A couple of things..

I don't have kids and that bling is real, Roy made it from scratch.

[robbie]

^^

I just meant the mark-up was justified.

and knowing its handmade makes it 100x cooler. and i did freak out, my bad.

[mikecch]

Best of luck to Roy - I'm glad I have a pair of Gen 1s that will last me the next few years

[rnrswitch]

I definitely think the jeans are well worth the $275. I have paid more for jeans that I like less.

I kinda just liked dealing with ROY. I am sure it was all the sizing questions that got to poor ole ROY.

I wonder how many times he heard, "I am a size 32 in Samurai S0510XX Lot 9. What size would I be in ROYs if I wanted a sufu fit?"

Hopefully he can keep this going. I am looking forward to his other creations.

[ranonranonarat]

i think they are going to get sold out at the party before i have a chance to hit "add to cart".

[aho]

I bet you could still get the personalized stitching etc. with Roy's personal store front? All conjecture though...

[not too tight]

Finally got to see a pair in person today at SENY. The Narrow cut is pretty slim from what I saw on dkatz and should the next jean for anybody looking for a skinny cut. My girlfriend was impressed by the ROY t-rex patch. Andrew and the gang there definitely knew all the details as I overheard him telling a customer about the shell stitching. Overall badass stuff going on at Self Edge.

[ranonranonarat]

would love to see first pictures of them. skinny wasn't what i was thinking. please tell me they are not skin tight.

[Vinneus]

...they are.

edit: his first cut was a slim straight. so to the average joe, the second will fit "skinny" SMH i was expecting a fuller cut.

[Maynard Friedman]

I shall don a tin hat here but I feel ROY may very well have lost his niche. It seems that for many the 'joy of ROY' was either getting a pair of well-made jeans for a very good price or dealing directly with the craftsman and his one-man band operation (emails re sizing, customization, etc), ie the personal touch and the price may have been seen as a bonus. The latter joy may still exist if ROY still sells directly, albeit at a significant price increase.

However, selling them for $275 at a specialist denim chain removes both those factors and possibly ROY'S competitive edge. They are now another pair nestling among the hangers of similarly priced and similar quality denim. Time will obviously tell whether the product still stands out under these circumstances.

It may have been possible for ROY to continue trading directly and increasing the price to $200-225 - I think this wouldn't have been considered unreasonable and would have preserved this edge.

There are clearly many factors at play here that I'm not privy to such as costs, etc. I'm not criticizing this approach and I'm sure that ROY has done his homework, just adding my 2¢ from a consumer perspective.

[mikecch]

^ I am a Roy fanboy too, but I have to agree with your sentiments M_F.

Roy's work is amazing, and too be honest I wouldn't have minded paying $275 for a new pair if what Roy said about these new jeans being even better is true (I've noticed a few improvements and extra details in LandoCal's pictures).

But factor in the loss of that 'personal connection', then I dunno...

I'm not hating in anyway - I do, and will always, cherish my pair of Roy's.

And I'm sure people who are so sentimental about stuff like this as we are...probably few and far in between.

Guess this topic probably weighs down more on the people who have bought a pair from Roy directly in the past, and I would encourage those who missed the opportunity to get a pair of Roy's to check them out at Self Edge (they are beautifully made!)

But when I tear up my pair of Roy's in a couple of years time, I'll most likely go back to copping more special edition Oni's and SDA's.

[yliafp]

i reallllyy wish i discovered this thread a couple months earlier

i'm definitely curious whats going to happen after the price increase

[sense.]

Friedman Couldn't agree more.

We've all praised ROY for his craft, construction, skill level and passionate desire to produce his own denim. His individual concern and attention was a rare service that hardly occurs, nowadays. Thus said, we all have great admiration and respect for the man.

What many will question are the "justifiable" factors that lead to such a significant price increase. It seems to be the association, placement and positioning that is assumed with being sold at a highly recognized denim chain. In my opinion, this exemplifies total capitalization off of something that was once entirely "pure and real".

The previous $150 price point was simply too low and everyone understands and acknowledges this fact. Personally, I would've enjoyed seeing ROY sell for considerably more, because its what HE fucking deserves.

But $275 is almost double, and the basis for which this price stands is very shaky. The man produces within the damn country, for christ's sake.

Nonetheless, I am rational enough to realize that none of this matters.

ROY will sell, and sell well and I hope all the best for him..

[grooveholmes]

I too was expecting an increase to the $200-225 range, still making it a helluva deal for a handmade pair of jeans. For $275, I'm tempted with other fine brands in the same range, like a pair of Ande Whalls. However, even AW raised his prices over the years, for what I understand as justifiable reasons. The market will decide what price is acceptable. $275 is a VERY reasonable price point, just not the bargain we all knew it (and wanted it to continue) to be.

I think the general progression of sentiment is: "Yes! What? Hmm... OK." If this were most any other brand, we'd be picketing. But we're all sympathetic to his aim. No one can fault or begrudge Roy because he's still the man, and these are still some of the best jeans made today.

[ranonranonarat]

not shooting roy down or anything but when i thought about what was great about roy denim was the personalization that i could get and how i was interacting directly with the maker. guaranteed that the staff at self edge are as knowledgeable as they can be, i would still love to interact with the man himself. of course like many others on this thread, i would still purchase them if they were around 220USD-235USD but almost doubling the price is hard to swallow.

what i liked about roy denim

- personalized service

- price point

- handmade

- type of denim used

- cut

now that they have shifted the price point, removed the personalized service, what's left is the denim, cut and them being handmade. i could possibly find something made of the same denim and something of a similar cut but his bargaining chip now only remains them being handmade. to shell out that kind of money is hard to justify for me.

[Vinneus]

....the thing about Roy, at least for me, was the indie like cult following. i subscribed to this thread when it was in its teens and got my pair back in May. What concerns me is not the fact of them not being hand made anymore, because they are. not being able to email him direct, because we can. and not feeling like that personal artizan touch is lost, because everything is still done by hand even the art work on the box's and personal note with every shipment.

The thing that shakes me most is, this thread was alive with members who already owned the jeans, whether it was because of the awesome price piont, or the indie craftsmen vibe, or Roy himself. i dont think there will be many new owners based on these recent developements. And im sorry but IMO, $275 is to much of a jump. esp when the core fan base either already owned or just missed the deadline for $150. if i ever decided to part with my originals, what would i list them for in the supermarket? "baught at $150, now retail at $275 asking $225 shipped?" somethings off.... I want ROY to be around and in business for a long time, im anxious to see future projects and a cut & Sew line, but what will his next increase be another $125? $400 retail?!?!

Still worth it, but no longer what weve come to know and love.

[mikecch]

Even though I've said in the past Roy's jeans are worth much more than $150, I agree with Vinneus in that the jump to $275 is a bit hard too swallow (the human mind is comparative in nature after all).

Especially with guys like Ande Whall and Ooe Yofukuten still making their own jeans and running their own retail op., using high quality Japanese denim at a similar, if not lower, price range - Roy Denim will have a good deal of competition.

It's just a little bit too much, too soon - I will go hug my Roy jeans to sleep now. Nighty night SuFu~

[holleman]

I must agree to what Vinneus said.

One of the key-aspects for me buying ROY denim was the fact that it was in it's pioneering-fase.

What's the chance I ever bump into someone on mainland-europe who's also wearing a pair of ROY denim?

The chance might get bigger now, but I still love my 'original' ROY jeans!

[ranonranonarat]

having said all that, i must add that i will still be writing a card to roy to thank him for the great service he provided even though i never ended up having a pair and wishing him happy holidays. because on a personal level, he is still a fantastic guy who has given so much to us.

[illumin8em]

....the thing about Roy, at least for me, was the indie like cult following. i subscribed to this thread when it was in its teens and got my pair back in May. What concerns me is not the fact of them not being hand made anymore, because they are. not being able to email him direct, because we can. and not feeling like that personal artizan touch is lost, because everything is still done by hand even the art work on the box's and personal note with every shipment.

The thing that shakes me most is, this thread was alive with members who already owned the jeans, whether it was because of the awesome price piont, or the indie craftsmen vibe, or Roy himself. i dont think there will be many new owners based on these recent developements. And im sorry but IMO, $275 is to much of a jump. esp when the core fan base either already owned or just missed the deadline for $150. if i ever decided to part with my originals, what would i list them for in the supermarket? "baught at $150, now retail at $275 asking $225 shipped?" somethings off.... I want ROY to be around and in business for a long time, im anxious to see future projects and a cut & Sew line, but what will his next increase be another $125? $400 retail?!?!

Still worth it, but no longer what weve come to know and love.

.

this^^

for all the reasons above you had everyone who managed to get in, on time, advertising what a great deal this was. just the price difference alone makes all aforementioned praise a little less convincing. For most of us who just couldn't make the deadline for what ever reason, and no matter how long we had been following the thread, we have not been able to see a pair in person and likely won't unless we buy.

being in correspondence with ROY over the past months has been interesting, and after i missed the deadline i always mentioned somewhere in the emails that i now have the money lying in wait for his return, i guess hoping he would hint to an amount of the price increase, but he never did of the increase or the return and not that he was obligated to. I expected an increase, but not this much.

I know, blah blah blah. I guess it is just a surprise and is drudging up buried contempt of myself for missing the deadline, and it will take a few days to settle in. Maybe i will use this time to find the extra $125